Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has filed a lawsuit against Sling TV, alleging a breach of contract related to Sling TV's "day pass" offering. This move closely resembles a previous lawsuit brought by Disney against the same provider.
WBD contends that Sling TV's inclusion of its networks in a 24-hour, weekend, or weeklong "day pass" option, marketed under the Sling Orange brand, violates their existing distribution agreement. The agreement, according to WBD, stipulates that its networks can only be offered on a monthly subscription basis.
The lawsuit highlights WBD's concerns about the potential threat Sling Orange poses to its own streaming strategy and existing distribution arrangements with other pay TV providers. This is particularly relevant given WBD's impending launch of a standalone CNN streaming service. The inclusion of CNN within Sling Orange is a key point of contention.
Disney's prior lawsuit against Sling TV specifically targeted Sling Orange and its ESPN family of networks, a move potentially driven by Disney's own direct-to-consumer streaming service launched around the same time as Sling's new offering. In contrast, Fubo, a Sling competitor, recently introduced a “skinny” sports package containing ESPN and its associated networks but excluding WBD channels. This package is offered through a monthly subscription and hasn't triggered similar legal action from Disney.
While WBD and ESPN were previously slated to partner with Fox Corp. on the now-canceled Venu Sports streaming platform, WBD channels, both sports and non-sports, remain accessible on various pay TV providers, including legacy and vMVPDs, although not as a "skinny" bundle.